About

Booth A-13, at the Viennacontemporary Captivating Worlds and Brilliant Figures Bernhard Buhmann's (b. 1979 in Bregenz, Austria, lives and works in Vienna) paintings are spirits of the times, sensitve mirrors of the stages of everyday life. All of the periods of work represented in this monograph are characterized by a questioning of the (re)construction of identity and the performative processes that go along with it. The discovery and loss of the self, the mixing of authenticity and posturing, the promise of an individual self-conception and its feedback on lived reality, in all theatricality and paradox, these supply Buhmann with infinite single points of reference and serve as the collective point of departure for his observations. Within a few years, the artist has generated a vast body of work: inventive images abounding with fantasy, images full of playful delight in fabulation and experimentation. The spectrum of protagonists is commensurately broad, a motley crew ranging from clowns and creatures of fantasy, to bizarre flying machines and beyond, all the way to colorful abstractions. Yet, our gaze keeps landing on the flip side of the serene activity. Baseless circumstances, rapid transformation and the permanently impending loss of control in contemporary society all harbor unknowns and dangers, the avoidance of which will be essential for continued survival. With texts by Günther Oberhollenzer and Fabian Ziegler, as well as a dialogue between Katrina Kufer and Bernhard Buhmann.